Fajitas are the Tex-Mex dish traditionally served sizzling with grilled onions and bell peppers.
The familiar restaurant platter usually contains grilled meat alongside strips of onion and bell pepper. Diners assemble the filling in tortillas and add toppings such as salsa, guacamole, sour cream, or cheese. The dramatic sizzling presentation became especially popular in American Tex-Mex restaurants during the late twentieth century.
Historically, fajitas referred more specifically to grilled skirt steak. Today, the term is also used for chicken, shrimp, pork, and mixed-vegetable preparations. That broader restaurant usage can cause confusion about whether “fajita” describes the meat, the seasoning, or the assembled meal.
The defining idea is grilled strips served as a tortilla filling, while the sizzling platter is a customary presentation. Fajitas differ from ordinary tacos mainly in preparation and service style, not because they require a single universal topping list.